Chapter Twenty-Three #2
Theo rolled his lips together and pointed behind Violet.
“His commercial art is on the wall you were just looking at. But, uh, that’s…
well, his latest abstract sculpture he’s working on is over there.
Because it’s the latest one I am working on.
” He winced and twisted the handle of his cane in his other hand until the padding groaned again. “Me is he. I am Lightm4st3r.”
Violet let go of him like he was suddenly on fire and staggered backward until she knocked into one of his worktables. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
“You…are him. You’re him? You’re Li-Light…m4st3r?” she stammered. “The notorious reclusive Radon Renegade of Brooklyn?”
“Radon is radioactive and I don’t use it, that moniker is a misnomer.”
“The Argon Apostate?”
“As far as I’m aware, I’ve never been excommunicated from any church.”
“The Neon Ninja?”
“I’m nowhere near that nimble anymore.”
“The Helium Hellion?”
“Since when have I ever actually raised hell?” Theo splayed his hands out indignantly. “Where the fuck did all these nicknames come from?!”
But Violet only shook her head in disbelief. “You? Sweet, sweet Theodore Sullivan, too shy to ask Audrey out, are the scourge of the New York Post?”
Theo rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. Even in this light, Audrey could tell that his ears had flushed pink, if not scorching red.
“Um…yeah? That’s me.”
“No one’s ever seen your face.”
“Well, obviously not no one.” He grimaced.
“But now you know why we needed an NDA.” He shrugged sheepishly and winced, shifting anxiously on his feet.
“I mean, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t blow my cover.
I don’t want the attention.” The low buzzing of his sculptures and signs was the only noise filling the space, punctuating the uncomfortable silence stretching between them.
“Holy shit, you’re not joking,” Violet finally breathed.
“I keep waiting for someone to tell me this is a prank, but you—” She suddenly spun around and gasped when she looked at where he’d pointed behind her, paling in the bright, multicolored light of his artwork and clamping her hands over her mouth.
Theo let out the breath he’d been holding.
Audrey took his free hand again and wove their fingers together, leaning her head on his arm and resting there as they all quietly studied his work in progress.
It was raw, he’d told her, still only the beginnings of his next work.
A sketch, essentially. He’d needed something to do with his hands after getting some of his confidence back post–charity auction, so as soon as he could, he’d set to work fiddling around in his studio.
The end result was going to be stunning.
Imogen stepped up behind them and put her hand on Theo’s shoulder, resting the other casually on her hip. “It’s good,” she murmured. “I can see where you’re going with it, and if it’s the direction I think it is, it’s going to be very good, Theo. Well done.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet,” he muttered back. “I have to finish the damn thing first. I’ve only just started.”
“You will.” When Audrey uttered the words, he looked down and smiled softly. “You’ll finish it. And it’ll be brilliant.” The light in Theo’s eyes was everything she needed. It was brighter than the sun.
But Violet, meanwhile, seemed to be at a loss for words.
This new sculpture wasn’t anything like the last one. It wasn’t an expression of his pain, or rage, or grief. It wasn’t chaotic, or frenetic, or filled with terrible, trembling fury mixed with agonizing beauty.
This one was all curves, the welded scaffolding and initial neon tubing sweeping and smooth and soft.
This one was all lightness, the first strokes of radiance laid down in yellows and whites and bright oranges, all of it full of joy, of sweetness, like Popsicles eaten during the height and heat of a summer’s day.
It was like hope.
It was like the sun.
It was how Theo felt now, with Audrey, and she with him.
It was how he saw her, how he lit up whenever she entered the room. How she lit up for him in return.
It was how he loved her, in the soft, golden glow of dawn. And how she loved him back in the dulcet, amber tones cast over the city skyline at dusk.
She knew, because he told her.
He told her every single day.
Violet spun back to look at the three of them. Tears shone in her eyes, and she kept glancing between Theo and this new sculpture. “The whole time?” she finally managed to gasp. “You’ve been listening to me babble on about how much I love your work the whole goddamn time?!”
Theo’s neck turned even redder. Audrey could tell how hot his face had suddenly become even in the bright, multicolored light of his studio, and she knew if she were to reach up and rub one of his ears, she’d find it blazing.
“Yeah?” He shrugged helplessly. “It’s not like it wasn’t flattering.
” He limped over to where Violet stood. “It’s not like I can just blurt that sort of thing out.
Page Six would pay a lot to uncover my identity, and they’re not the only ones. ”
“That’s putting it mildly, don’t you think?!” Violet punched him bitterly in the arm.
“Ow!”
Violet drew in a deep breath. And Audrey knew the dearth of words was about to be over.
She braced herself for the onslaught.
“HOLY SHIT, THEO. YOU’RE FUCKING LIGHTM4ST3R?” Violet pointed at his scar and angrily wiped her tears away. “Is this why you don’t do graffiti work anymore? Why you disappeared for almost a year? WAIT.”
She ran her hands frantically through her hair, making it swirl wildly with static and pushing her bangs up to practically stand on end.
“OH MY GOD THE SCULPTURE WAS ABOUT YOUR ACCIDENT. Holy fuck, Theo, the photos were the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Can you get me access to see it in person? Do you know the billionaire who bought it? Surely he’ll let you visit.
Maybe if we all wear masks, can I see it?
Or wait—wait wait wait, what about any of your past sculptures? Or any that you haven’t shown?”
Violet finally looked around at the rest of the ones behind his newest, and Audrey could have sworn her legs nearly gave out. They shook and buckled, and Violet had to grab onto the edge of a table to hold herself upright.
“Holy fuck, I’m in Lightm4st3r’s studio right now.
” Violet seemed to be having trouble breathing and looked like she was on the verge of hyperventilating.
She patted the top of the worn wooden table as if she couldn’t believe it was real.
“There’s shit in here no one has ever seen, oh my god.
” She whirled around and faced him again.
“Over my dead body would I rat you out.” Madness gleamed in her eyes.
“But you are never getting rid of me now. I am gonna be down here constantly, creeping on you while you work.”
Theo’s smile might have stretched into a grimace. “That…might make it a little hard to actually do the work, Vi,” he said, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t like attention, remember? Neither identity of mine does.”
“Oh. Right, right.” She nodded sagely. Her face fell a little.
“But you can take a look at my progress whenever you come over. I’m happy to let you have sneak peeks.”
That perked her right up.
“Brilliant. I’ll take it!” She bounced on her heels and pointed back to his newest work.
“All right, fine: what’s she called? I’ll need to know.
I want all the dirt, and I want it before you release any of it publicly.
I signed my life away in blood to keep your secrets, so you’d better fucking make it worth my while now. ”
Theo chuckled. “Well…I don’t know for sure yet.”
He glanced down at Audrey.
“But I’m thinking the working title for Instagram might be the sun can’t touch you if you burn yourself.”
It was the best evening Audrey had had with Violet in a long time.
After Imogen left, they spent what must have been hours in the studio, but the time flew by.
Theo answered as many questions as he could until he and Violet were both blue in the face before they made their way back upstairs to his office, where he got to share all the articles and newspaper clippings and screenshots with her.
It was fun, watching her best friend be so filled with joy.
It was fun, sharing another secret between them.
Audrey hadn’t liked keeping that one.
After dinner, Theo called Violet an Uber, and as soon as she was safely tucked into a five-star luxury ride, he flopped back onto the couch next to Audrey, blowing his dark hair out of his eyes with an exhausted puff of air.
“My god,” he whispered. “I knew that would be a lot, but—”
“But you loved it too, didn’t you?” Audrey grinned when Theo held out an arm and she snuggled up close, curling into his chest and closing her eyes.
“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” he said, softly running his fingers through her hair.
They’d turned on his fireplace while they’d waited for their food delivery, and they both quieted and watched the shadows of the flickering flames dance across the exposed brick walls.
“I forgot how much I love talking about my art. It really sucks that I can’t with most people, even though that’s my own fault. ”
Audrey cupped his right cheek, tilting his face toward her own. She swept her thumb across his scar, and his lips spread up into another slow, soft smile at her touch.
“I know. I’m not exactly the best at keeping track of all the art world stuff. I like it, but Violet lives for it. She’s so intense.”
Theo nodded sagely. “That she is. And at least she seems to like what she does, according to Ali, even if it’s not yet the entire dream. He says she’s good at it. And that she’s terrifying. Sounds like she regularly threatens to eat him for lunch.”
Audrey raised an eyebrow and tilted her head up to meet Theo’s gaze. “Oh? Is that what Alastair says?”